Paris, Lamar County
Shady Grove Cemetery According to an account by Dr. J.E. Fuller (1862-1940), as reported by local historian Ed H. McCuistion (1867-1946) in a 1921 column in The Paris News, the first person buried here was a youth with the surname of Young who became ill and died while in the company of a Captain Beauchamp on Tollet's Prairie in 1844. He knew of his impending death and asked to be laid to rest here in the "beautiful grove near the crossing" at Brushy Creek. This shaded area was used for camp meetings by traveling preachers and, according to McCuistion, was deeded for this purpose by Turner B. (1800-1863) and Ann Eliza (1813-1894) Edmunson in 1847. Although Young's grave is unmarked today, other early burials include those of Mary Fincher (1852), three-year-old Matthew E.R. Hoover (1855), Aaron Fincher (1857) and Sallie V. Jennings (1857). The Edmunson's 1847 donation included the tract on which the cemetery is situated, as well as the grounds of the Shady Grove Methodist Church, which grew from the early camp meetings along the creek. South of and adjacent to Shady Grove Cemetery is an African American cemetery, also known as Shady Grove. Its earliest inscription dates to 1875. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002